The Sentinels; or, The End Of Chaos
Chapter 1
Shots Fired
There were some nights in Equestria when the moon shone lucid and steady in the purple sky, a steadfast watchman over silent peace. Ponies of all nations were eased into slumber by its resolute glow.
There were other nights when the heart of Princess Luna turned about within her, kneaded relentlessly by a cruel voice whose ever-present whisper had dared to rise to a maddening shout all those years ago. She remembered it well.
"Everypony has fears within them," she had been taught by her wise older sister when she was only a filly, "but the power of Friendship and Harmony is always greater than these. Any challenge can be overcome, I promise you, so long as you choose to stand for good. It will not always be easy. Sometimes it will be painful. But, I will always be your sister, and there is nothing we cannot overcome together. Can we make a promise now, Luna, one that we must never ever break? I promise I will always help you be strong. I will never leave you. Will you do the same for me?"
On this night, the moon sat heavy and dull in the sky, hazy through the haunting clouds. Alone on the Royal Balcony, save for the bat-winged Lunar Guard, Luna absentmindedly maintained the night as she reminisced on the ancient lesson. In her waking dream, she was suddenly standing before the Tree of Harmony once again, grateful for her sister's certainty on the eve of the Fall of Discord. She had not seen the Tree in millenia, but she remembered its otherworldly glow. She found it hard to explain the nature of the tree, even to herself-- its aura, its wisdom, its beauty. It seemed to Luna that it was not just a tree of magic gems. Rather, approaching it felt like entering the temple of an ancient wise sage. Even before catching a glimpse of it, she remembered a warmth spreading through her consciousness as she tread upon its ground, as if each one of her thoughts was laced with a message from the Tree:
Hello, Daughter.
She knew that Celestia had encountered the Tree once previously, and claimed to have spoken with it. It had given her instructions, communicating a mysterious Will that could not be refused.
Bring your sister to Me. A new day dawns.
Until now, Luna had suspected a touch of madness to be the root of Celestia's tale, and had expressed deep concern for her sister's well-being; perhaps Discord's kingdom of insanity had finally overwhelmed her. Perhaps the two Sentinels of Harmony could bear the Chaos no longer. But her sister's sincerity, insistence, and unfounded limitless joy when discussing the phenomenon played to her curiosity. As she stood captivated before this ancient, holy God of Magic, Celestia began to speak. To this day, Luna was not certain whether Celestia or this magical Deity was the author of these words.
"You see, sister, fear is born from Chaos, and peace is born from Harmony. I believe -- no, I know it within me -- that order and friendship will triumph over Chaos and rebuild this world. Great days are coming, Luna. A vast world of harmony for all ponies stretches out before us. Using these," Celestia gestured toward the 6 gems growing from the immortal crystal Tree, "we must represent Harmony in its victory here. A time will come when this duty will pass from us to its true bearers, but you and I, dear sister, are the beginning of something much bigger than ourselves."
In the morning, they had proven their conviction. They, as honored pawns of Fate, became the stewards of a world which belonged to something eternal, as benevolent as it was mysterious. As they stared at the petrified form of the previous King Discord, they could almost feel the weight of the world settle on their shoulders.
Now as then, Luna simultaneously swelled with pride and trembled under the weight of her responsibility. Though they had laid the foundation of a world of life and prosperity, her own days of peace were over the moment the Elements of Harmony first unleashed their power in the Royal Sisters' hooves. Ever since she watched in amazement as the Elements orbited the pair at unsettling speed (partially by the sisters' will, but mostly of their own accord) to end the reign of Discord, something sinister had made its home in the corners of her mind. She had inherited a sacred and solemn duty from Harmony itself, but Chaos would not be defeated so easily. Such is the history of every universe: the tale of the Great Essential War between Harmony and Chaos. Every place and mind is a battlefield; every decision another shot fired.
Her night was nearly over. Her horn ached and her mind was hungry for sleep. Manipulating the ambient energy around her into complex geometric forms, she launched her magic into the sky as she had done for thousands of years. As easy as breathing. The moon touched down on the horizon, and its pale light revealed the mountainous landscape in the distance. When the voice cut through her thoughts from deep within her consciousness, she realized she had half expected it.
“It’s beautiful.”
She had fallen for it only once.
“Too bad nopony saw it.”
She had paid dearly for it, too.
“You deserve better.”
It was a soothing voice. It always had been. But it was only as soothing as a demon’s could be.
With a slight push, she accelerated the moon’s motion out of sheer annoyance. As its last sliver disappeared under the surface of the planet, she knew that within moments, Celestia’s armor-clad pegasi would march in to begin the Changing of the Guard ceremony, followed shortly by her sister. She would be so relieved to see her after this tiring night. A shout rang out, running towards the balcony.
“Princess Luna! PRINCESS LUNA! Come at once! Your Highness, something is wrong with Princess Celestia!”
No, no, it can’t be.
Luna loosed her grip on the night and bolted from the balcony, through the Throne Room, toward Celestia’s bedchambers. Unsupported by alicorn magic for the first time since the Royal Schism, the night thickened and chilled. Between gasps, Luna shouted to anypony that could hear, “Summon the Princess Twilight Sparkle at once!”
Chapter 2
Morning
Ever since Twilight’s days of study in Canterlot, she liked to begin her day before dawn, settling by a window with a cozy blanket, a good book, and a view of the eastward sky. As Princess Celestia’s prized student, she considered it a ritual of respect to devote each day’s first moments progressing in her studies beneath the beautiful sunrise that her mentor faithfully conjured up from the Royal Palace. After the sun had risen fully over the horizon, she felt content and reassured; no matter what trials she was facing or what worries were weighing down her mind, she could count on the dawn, and she could count on the Princess.
This night had not been particularly good to her. The steady wind made her beloved library creak and moan as if in pain, the darkness in her bedroom felt thick and oppressive, and she slept fitfully.
It seemed as though she had only found peace for a second when she suddenly jolted from sleep. Blinking wearily, she sat up from bed to find herself sweating and trembling in the dark.
Ugh, my head… What an awful dream... What time is it?
The red LED numbers were the only thing visible in the darkness.
5:45am…
She knew that she would be awoken in a half hour anyway, and that sleep was not likely to return, but her eyelids felt weighted with exhaustion. She flopped back down on her pillow and fell asleep surprisingly quickly, as if whatever was pestering her during the night had run its course.
The soft bells from her alarm clock woke her; 6:15am. Twilight was a light sleeper, and she could never understand how anypony could have a good day after being startled awake by terrifying electric buzzing. Instantly awake, she lifted her head, reached one hoof out of the warm covers and flicked the alarm off. Naturally, she had opted for a clock with no snooze button. She would never say it, but she had always thought that snooze buttons were for lazy ponies. Though, to each his own, she supposed.
Wow, for only a half hour, I feel so much more rested! What an awful night... I’ll have to tell Spike about that crazy nightmare; though, he’ll probably tell me again that all my studying is cooking my giant egghead.
She giggled at the thought. She could hear his not-so-faint snoring from the other side of the room and felt a small rush of affection for the little dragon. He was something between a little brother and a son to her, and the presence of somepony you love is always comforting.
I’ll let him sleep in today. It is a Sunday, after all, and the library is remarkably clean. In fact, we don’t have many chores at all. With all this time, I’ll definitely be able to finish my book today!
She smiled with anticipation and threw the covers off. She walked quietly into the kitchen to make a cup of tea, then to the shelves to fetch the copy of Magical Catastrophes of Equestrian History that she had been working so hard to finish. It was more like a brick than a book, as thick as it was wide. Twilight found that darkly humorous. But, she reasoned, what could be more important than learning from ponies’ past mistakes? Levitating it before her horn, she continued to her balcony to read by the light of the breaking dawn, which, if her timing was right—and it always was—should begin in five minutes, at 6:40 sharp.
She laid on the balcony in the brisk air, a heavy comforter under her to pad the wooden floor, and one over her to keep out the air which had not yet been warmed by the sun. As she rolled onto her side to get comfortable, she suddenly noticed her wings.
Still not used to these things… I wonder how many ponies have ever had to get used to brand new, functioning body parts. Come to think of it, were Celestia and Luna born with their wings, or did they appear like mine when they became Princesses?
She wasn’t sure, but she decided to ask Celestia when they next talked. Now that she was a princess, she was able—required, actually—to talk with the Royal Sisters much more often, and she was thankful for that. She admired both of them so much; they were practically walking embodiments of experience and wisdom, not to mention their astonishing magical power. Celestia, however, as her mentor since fillyhood, would always have a special place in her heart. Her mind began to wander as she wondered about their history, and how they became royalty in the first place. She wondered about the deep history of Equestria, which she had only ever heard her mentor hint at. The Princesses treated that topic with such mystery and reverence that Twilight had always felt that that knowledge was “above her pay grade,” so to speak. She wondered whether more would be revealed to her now that she was a princess herself—which she still found unbelievable—and she felt a thrill of excitement at the thought. She sat, lost in contemplation, leaving her book untouched, until it hit her.
Wait, shouldn’t the sun have risen by now?
Twilight felt a tinge of fear, knowing that she had been deep in thought for much longer than five minutes. She quickly rose, turned, and peeked inside for a glance at the nearest clock.
6:50am.
The shock hit her like a train.
…what? The dawn is… late? Celestia would never let that happen; she never has, ever. I know! Somehow, my clock is fast. I always set my clocks precisely to Canterlot Standard Time, but… maybe this clock is broken! Maybe it stopped at 6:50pm last night!
She breathed a sigh of relief, but then remembered.
My alarm clock. Two of my clocks couldn’t suddenly be wrong at the same time.
For good measure, she ran into the kitchen and hesitantly read the clock on the wall.
6:52am.
She looked, panicked, back at the sky. Not only was there no sun, but there were also…
No stars?! But, Princess Luna… What the hay is going on?!
Simultaneously, Luna’s heart raced and she lamented that she did not know the spell to send an instant letter to Twilight through Spike.
“Who are the fastest stallions? Two of you, go! Get Princess Twilight at her library in Ponyville, NOW! Bring her here! Make haste, please!”
Twilight paced on her balcony, waiting for something, anything. A twinkle from one star. The faintest pink light on the horizon. A letter from Celestia announcing a new Daylight Savings Time. Anything.
Her panic was interrupted by the approaching beat of frantic wings.
“Princess Twilight, Your Highness! Luna requests your presence at the Royal Palace immediately!”
Her heart sank.
It would be the most difficult teleportation spell she had ever attempted, by far. She had not yet tried to get even as far as Fluttershy’s cottage. Her magic was more powerful than ever, but teleportation grew exponentially more difficult with distance. Even the Sisters arrived in carriages or flew themselves when they visited Ponyville.
If she got it wrong, she could end up anywhere, but this was an emergency.
Imagining the Throne Room in Canterlot Castle as precisely as she could, she visualized herself there and began to direct energy to her horn, wrapping strands of magic around her body until she was completely covered.
I’m coming, Princess.
She pulled the trigger and released the spell, disappearing from the balcony in an explosive purple flash which lit up Ponyville like daylight.
